This tag is for questions related to usage of the past tense in English.
0
votes
1answer
47 views
past tense of contrive [closed]
So I am looking up the meaning of 'contrive' in google using:
define contrive
And it says:
Verb
1. Create or bring about (an object or a situation) by deliberate use of skill and artifice.
2. ...
0
votes
2answers
45 views
Is reported speech reasonable in this example? [closed]
What is the right word to the gap (21)? (had/have)
That is about 400 years earlier than when the Inca Indians were
thought to (21) __ discovered the silver in the ground.
I think it's had as ...
0
votes
1answer
62 views
Can we use past perfect progressive in the context where present tense is predominantly used?
As I understand, past perfect is used to express an action that had happened before something else in the past. But in the paragraph I came across, there appeared past perfect progressive in the ...
-2
votes
2answers
72 views
Is that grammatically correct? [closed]
I'm going to blog about each feature and progress I made in my book?
Is that grammatically correct?
-2
votes
2answers
39 views
Is it 'express shipped' or 'shipped express'?
Which one is correct?
He should have express shipped it to me.
He should have it shipped express to me.
1
vote
3answers
68 views
Simple past sounds better but past perfect seems more accurate
I think it's grammatically more accurate to say,"The market was closed after a virus had been found." However, it sounds "better" to say,"The market was closed after a virus was found." Grammatically, ...
1
vote
1answer
60 views
Is past perfect necessary when you are talking in chronological order?
I have a question about using past perfect. I know that it's used when you want to refer to an older past event while talking about a more recent past event. But if you begin talking about past events ...
2
votes
2answers
85 views
Tense agreement in conditional statements: “I could do whatever I want” vs. “I could do whatever I wanted”
Consider the following sentences:
If I had my own place, I could do whatever I want.
If I had my own place, I could do whatever I wanted.
She said I could do whatever I want.
She ...
2
votes
2answers
159 views
Will the sentences be correct?
We all know that universal statements are always in present tense. For example,
My grandma did not believe that the Earth revolves around the Sun.
Here, though the sentence is in past tense, ...
1
vote
1answer
60 views
Are These Words Interchangeable? [duplicate]
"The man was hung at dawn."
"The man was hanged at dawn."
Are "hung" and "hanged" entirely interchangeable?
-5
votes
1answer
99 views
Grammar: did + past simple, is it correct? [closed]
I’ve noticed a few times where someone says something like “Did you made...” or “Did you worked...” when asking questions.
Is this some kind of unofficial talk or is it completely incorrect ...
1
vote
1answer
80 views
Confusion in usage of verb in interrogative past tense
I know that whenever we use "did" in any sentence, the following verb has to be in present form. But I have a confusion:-
In plain English it should be:- Did you forget switching it off?
But if we ...
-1
votes
1answer
67 views
The future as reported in the past
Is (1) correct, or must it be written as (2)?
John told me yesterday that this contract will not be renewed when it ends next month.
John told me yesterday that this contract would not be ...
0
votes
3answers
136 views
Infinitive vs. Past Simple for short technical annotations [duplicate]
I use source control management software at work. When I commit some changes, I annotate them with the bare infinitive like this:
"add new feature", "fix bug #10012"
I note that some of my ...
1
vote
1answer
196 views
Present perfect or past simple? [duplicate]
I know the basic rules about using PP and PS (like specified time in the past etc.) but in some cases, it is not clear to me:
I have finished painting. - present perfect, I just announce that.
I ...
-3
votes
1answer
162 views
past perfect and past continuous [closed]
Which of these is correct?
Before he had come to the factory, Tom was studying at the University of London.
Before he came to the factory, Tom had studied at the University of London.
2
votes
1answer
102 views
I was sat thinking why you were stood there before I was took away by the word police [duplicate]
I know my sentence is dreadful but everyone now uses these words in this way, including my eight children aged 19—26. Yes, they are from Manchester but my husband uses he was took and he’s from ...
-1
votes
3answers
86 views
Stating facts that occured in the past
We were shocked when we found/find out the toilet had/has no flush.
My natural intuition would lead me to write this way:
We were shocked when we found out the toilet had no flush.
Then ...
0
votes
2answers
196 views
Future Passive Progressive? [duplicate]
Does some future passive progressive tense exist, such as:
He will be being interviewed by police."
as a counterpart to the past passive progressive tense, such as:
He was being ...
0
votes
1answer
97 views
Reported Speech Tense Choice [closed]
Which of the followings sentences would be the best choice?
The victim explained how he became addicted five years ago...
His addiction is so bad that he is unable to keep a steady ...
0
votes
2answers
113 views
Must the verb tense following “prior to” always be in the past? [closed]
I’m writing a paper in present tense. However, I am wondering whether using prior to requires me to change my sentence to be in the past tense instead. For example:
Thus, prior to their visit, ...
2
votes
3answers
215 views
Answering past simple question with past continuous
For example,
— What did you do yesterday?
— I was working.
I presume this is not grammatically correct; however, I often reply in this way (I'm English). Also vice versa: "What were you doing ...
1
vote
4answers
211 views
“I came from Italy” or “I come from Italy”
If I originally lived in Italy and then moved to the United States and currently live in the United States. Then somebody asked me where I am from. I say:
I come/came from Italy.
Should it ...
-1
votes
2answers
123 views
He Did Come Home? [closed]
Is this:
1 He did come home late yesterday.
a sloppy variation of:
2 He came home late yesterday.
because of poor editing under adverse writing conditions? Could the writer have ...
3
votes
4answers
2k views
“Past due” or “passed due”
I know that "past due" stamped on a bill is accepted, however I believe it should be "passed due". Does this mean that "past due" is vernacularly correct and "passed due" is grammatically correct?
1
vote
3answers
165 views
Is there a rule for “wouldn't” used to mean “didn't want”?
I have seen the sentences in books where wouldn't seems to have been used in the meaning of didn't want, and I wonder if such a rule exists. For instance,
I wanted to participate, but he wouldn't ...
10
votes
4answers
880 views
Is “drownded” a word?
Is there such a word as "drownded"? I would say "drowned" but I am hearing "drownded" so often I am beginning to wonder.
For example:
He went into the deepest waters and drownded.
1
vote
1answer
100 views
American native speaker and perfect tenses
Yesterday I sent my friend a useful gift in online game. Today I can see he has not accepted it yet. Which sentence is grammatically correct and most natural in American English?
"You didn't ...
3
votes
2answers
395 views
Irregular past tense confusion with compound noun/verb. More examples?
Students of martial arts may be familiar with a breakfall, which can (depending on the situation) be treated as a noun or a verb.
I am often amused when speakers, even native English speakers (myself ...
1
vote
4answers
415 views
How to avoid past/future tense?
I'm writing a Software Design Document. It is being written in parallel to the development, so as some features are already finished they are written in past tense (the only way I know of articulating ...
7
votes
3answers
217 views
“He grew up around cars that would later become classics.”
My question is about the use of would in the following sentence.
He grew up around cars that would later become classics.
The use of would in this particular sense always looks confusing to me ...
5
votes
1answer
316 views
Is every sentence in a tense?
I know that "tense" indicates time. If that is true, then not every sentence can be indicated of its tense.
Please review these sentences:
"If I could go to the market , I must have taken breakfast ...
1
vote
1answer
192 views
Past vs Past Perfect
While writing a paper for my English class, I couldn't decided whether past or past perfect tense was needed. It's basically about how a guy whose house is destroyed because the government wants to ...
3
votes
1answer
162 views
Combining future perfect tenses in a sentence
Which is correct to say?
On Valentines Day 2013 the iPhone will have been for sale exactly half as long as the iPod has been for sale.
or
On Valentines Day 2013 the iPhone will have been for ...
1
vote
4answers
153 views
A prediction made in the past that affects something we will do in the future
Please ignore the factual accuracy of this sentence and focus on the tenses used.
If the Mayans were wrong to end the calendar on Dec. 20, 2012, we'll use your donation to fund 2013 programming.
...
0
votes
2answers
406 views
What should be the correct tense and structure of the sentence? [closed]
Sorry if my question sounds dumb here. I am not a English speaker and now I am trying to learn and improve my English. Suppose following scenario occurs:
Person A has done something wrong in past and ...
5
votes
3answers
357 views
“When we worked together” vs “when we were working together” or can I use “when” with continous tenses?
In one Russian discussion group devoted to ESL, I was advised that using when with continuous tenses is incorrect in English.
To be exact, we were discussing how to translate a phrase about one’s ...
-1
votes
1answer
342 views
Replacing past perfect tense with past tense
For had fallen in a when-clause, can the past perfect tense be replaced with the past tense?
Easily the most boring class was History of Magic, which was the only
one taught by a ghost. ...
1
vote
0answers
286 views
Can we use “is” with second form of verb is sentences? [closed]
Can we use the second form of the verb with is. For example
The book is hidden
In daily life, I used to listen to some sentences in which the second form of the verb is used with is. Is it ...
0
votes
0answers
17 views
Ending verbs with 'nt' in the past tense [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When do you use “learnt” and when “learned”?
It was my understanding that ending verbs with "t" / "nt" in the perfect tense was merely to accommodate irregular verbs
...
0
votes
2answers
236 views
Mixed tenses in a sentence [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
‘Had’ or ‘has’ to describe a past condition which is still present?
Tense change: previous actions on something that's currently true
The employee was injured while ...
-1
votes
1answer
63 views
Cannot find whether it is past or present [closed]
I came across a question in a book. It says:
If any of the following sentences show that something happened in the past, make the italicized verb simple past by adding -d or -ed. If you cannot ...
2
votes
9answers
336 views
How do I ask “when” without implying past or future?
"When did or will the event happen?" — This sounds silly to me.
To make matters worse, I would like to use passive voice because the question is in reference to a statement that uses passive voice.
...
1
vote
1answer
853 views
Confused by the past tense and the present tense
Suppose I'm talking about some design scheme. I say something like
"foo was once designed and implemented in a way called bar that ...". Then I want to introduce the original scheme "bar", for ...
5
votes
2answers
329 views
“The author wrote” vs. “the author writes”
What is the rule for the following examples?
In the passage, the author writes. . . .
In the passage, the author wrote. . . .
I’m trying to explain to my son that both are correct, but I can’t ...
0
votes
1answer
177 views
Where versus were [closed]
New York Times editorial today says:
The Bronx district attorney should be applauded for refusing to prosecute bad arrests that officers were unable to prove were warranted.
Should it be:
...
1
vote
2answers
373 views
What tense is “You were unable to do it.”?
"You were unable to do it."
Can you describe the tense of this sentence? Is it Past Progressive?
3
votes
2answers
123 views
Tenses and completeness of actions
When one uses simple past tense for some action, does it imply that the action is complete?
For instance, when you say “I wrote my article yesterday,” does this imply that at this moment you have a ...
0
votes
0answers
41 views
Past tense of 'dive' [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
UK English: Is “dived” a valid word?
Can anybody explain the difference between dived and dove in the following sentence?
He __ in to the ...
3
votes
3answers
232 views
Correct tense for events which happend long time ago but still have direct connection with present time
Suppose that a man disappeared twenty years ago and I haven't had a notice about him since then. What should I say to my interlocutor if I want to tell him about this story?
You know, Harry has ...
